


The First Day of School

by tinybox



Series: unreality_strikes_back.exe [7]
Category: Doki Doki Literature Club! (Visual Novel)
Genre: Arguing, Childhood Friends, Computer Programming, Computer Viruses, Conflict of Interests, Deja Vu, Social Anxiety, Time Loop, Time Skips, Video & Computer Games
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-06
Updated: 2020-02-06
Packaged: 2021-02-27 19:29:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,138
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22591027
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tinybox/pseuds/tinybox
Summary: It's time to start the game!...Again?
Series: unreality_strikes_back.exe [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1619047
Kudos: 5





	The First Day of School

T̴̫̮̰̟̱̿̽͂̋̎̅̔̏̆̒͝͝h̶̫̩͈̮͇̣̉̚͘̕͜i̸̡̡̛̘̘̯̒̄̃͂́̈́́̐̀͝s̵̨̩̭̫̠̮̝̜̩̜̦͈͌̍ ̶͈̣̫͇͎̦̪̽͗g̷̡̮͖̣͔̖͓͖͋ä̶̧͇̟̭̹̯̪̲̟͍̦́͒͒̂m̶̺͔͙̙͇͎̭͎͚͎̦̖̩̑̃̊̾͊̀̓̑̐̀̚͜ė̴̡͇̝͎̣̥͙̦͔̳̹̱͙͈͛̍̆̑̒̔ ̷͚̎́̾̔͛͊͌͂͐͘͠i̸̢͙͉͑̈́͆̐̓̇s̵̼̥̈̄̑́͌̒̐̅̉̈́ ̵̢̧͙̻̻̟̯͎͖̟͙̇n̷̨͖̅̐͗̏̽͋̑͑̅͋̌̑̈͊õ̸̠͓̼̙̂͋̓͆ͅṱ̵̣͓̥͈̥̣̼̹̩̗̇̔̉̈̂̋̒́̕͜ ̷̘͇̝̥̦͇̬͎͐̑͋͆͊̐̀̍̕̚͘s̷̛̮̝͉̤͎̗̄̌͗̂͆ȗ̶̧̢̧̧̪̯̝̼̰͍̺͔̳̼̚͜͝į̸͉̀̆̄͋̌͛͆̋͗͆̿t̷̙̗̄a̵̢̳͍̘̞̜͍̥̱̮͕̯̹͕͑͒̋̂̈́̑b̷̢̳͓̯̭̻̻̣̄̓̊͠l̸̡͚̬̱̗͈͇͙̼̩̻͉̦͓̀̐̋é̵̤͛̈́̓ ̷̺͔̘̬͎̝̲̜̭̺͇̜̺̇͑͝ͅf̸̛͍̎̉̌̌̅̈́̏͊̌̈́͗̌͝ǒ̶̹͎̤̭̫͈̲͌̊r̵̝̻̥͓͕͎̪̼̻̈̅̍̌̚ͅ ̶̩̥̗̮̂̍̉̇̾͊̅̂͑͋̃͝͝c̸̢̨̢̭͈̠͍͓͕̝̜̠̮͒ĥ̵̳͕̪͐͑i̴̛̹̻̪̺͖̞̫̲͍̙̙̻̋̍̄̔̈́̚͘͜͠͝l̶̠̼̼͆͊͗͐̔̏̈́͌ͅḑ̴̢̼̥̬̦̼̗͈̳͌̎͒̓̈́͊̌̒̓̄͐͝͝ȓ̴̡̜͖̲̝̫̪͙̜̬̬̙͓̼͌̆̾͐̾̋́̎̽̚̚͝͠è̷͙̲̱͒͗̎̋̉̋̾͑̅͐̇̚ͅn̸̠̑̌̄ ̴̧̛̣̝̣̲̫͚͍̠̼̤̼̅͌͌̈̈́̌̌́ǫ̵͚͔̖̺̗͇̳̈̏͊̂̉̅̆̽͆̚͝r̸̢̛̤͕̰͍̫̲̦̥͈͍͍̙̪̙̔͛̂̐̆͒̏̏̚͝ ̶̢̛̼̝̯̲̤̲̞̩̝̮͎̮́̓͂͐̅̚t̴͎͖̯̰̫͉͈̿̈̆̃͝͝͝ḫ̸̱͆̈́̋͒́o̵̱̭̦̞̥̬̦̙̽̊̈́̈́͛͗̕s̷͈̲͖̬̙̼̣̱͋̽̎̕͠͝ͅe̵̦̽̏̒̒̚ ̵̲̦͈̪̠͇͔̽̋̍͐͠ṱ̴̛͖͈̱̰̃͛͒̍̃̑̑̂͛̍͝͝ͅh̴̢̨̜̹̠̠͍̫̖̼̝̫͗̂͐̋ả̶̢̛̺͉̓̾̀̎̈́̐͆͆͘͝͝ť̶̝̺̠̭͈͔͓̠̿̎͊͋͐͠ ̶̧̧̧̘̺͕͍̞̲̪͔̬̝͍̩͑̉͌̑ȃ̵̙̩̥̟̣͆̊͆̽͒́͌̓̄͜r̸̛̰̹̥̹̊͒͑̔͆͑͐̒͊͌̽͂͠e̶͖̦̺͔͉̝͚͔͔͕̯̩̹̎̔͘͜ͅ ̶̡͎͖͇͈̞͙̠͂̍̄̆͋͛̉͋̚e̶͇̎̒́͗͆͛̕ḁ̴̐̽ṣ̶͎̅̋̽͑̓̍i̵͚̺̩͓̜͛́̑̉̌͐̒͒͆̔̾̒͘͘͝ļ̵̛̣̞͚̜̱͒͒̾̆̓̾͒͗̈̓̑̌͘͜y̴̡̬̱̜̲̹̖͔̺̺͈̳̦̏͐̕̚̕̚ ̵̡̼̟̖̟̜̗̱̦̥̙͈͇͂̌̽̉̈́̓̐̓͜͝͝d̶̝̤̖̱͎̞̪͎̣̖͓̪͓̿̓̓̈́̏̚̚͜ͅḯ̴̢͕̹͙̬͖͌̐̏s̷͉̰̩͖̟̿͑̇̚ẗ̷̞͎̰̗̳́̾͂̈́̓͐͋͒̌̐̚ủ̵͇̘̯̍̑͗͜ŗ̵͕̫̘͈͖͙̗̞̤̇̃̈́̈́̄̀́̎̎̎̈́̉͋͠ͅb̴̼̳͈̠̉̂̓̋̉̌̈̑͛̏̐̈́̿̔͠e̷̮̯̟͊͋̈̋̿̔̂d̷͔̺̲͕̈́̎̅͗̏̇̔̀̓̋̈̓.̸̦̯̩̰̜̣̫̱̰͂͐̇̊̈́́̓͊͌̔̏̊͝͝ ̷̡͓̫͈̼̦̓͛̌̆̒̊̊͑̓͗͝

I̷̭͋̍͐͆͑n̶̡̙̣̲̪̗̜̖̰̰͊̑͂̐͊̔̊̈̅̆̀͆̈́d̷̯̻͎̖̖̻̭̝̱̱̾̂̔̑̎͂ͅí̸̧̨̨̮̹̜̩͎͚̺̗̩̭̭͛̈́͂̄̋̈́̅̍́̈́̿̑͘̚ͅv̵̢̠͓͚̩̠͚͈̠̳͕̬̎̃̈́̇̄̒̀͒̆͝͠͝i̸̟͕̤̲͉̼̩̜̳̞͛̚͜͝d̵̨̧̛̹͈̳̦̩̫͍̤͎̆͑͊̋͜ư̴̧̢͍̥̬͎̑̋͌̾͘̚å̶̺̻̩̰̲̺͇̖͉͎͙͙͐̉͋̓̎̈́̂͘͜͝l̴̨̮̼̪̟͈̞͔̠̬̋͜ͅš̸̞̲̓ ̷̡̢̡̧̹̞̫̱̞̤̥͕̦̩͋͗͊̐̇͝ş̸͙͚̥̳̯̗̝̝̯́̎̈́̂̌̏͐͑u̵̲̥̩̯̣͙͝f̸̡͚͖̤̩̖͕̘̣̬̅̓̇̕ͅf̵͕̓̈͑̐̇̇̆̓̌̈̏͘͝e̸̢̻̤̼̟̻̭͖̓r̷̢̰̙̬͈̟̯̘͌i̶̦̺̼͇̟̻͉̅̿̊̂̒̈́̔̋n̵̛̞̤͚͔̦̠̼̭͉̾͆̏̾̒̈͋̓̂͠͝g̷̨̢̧͍̫̥̲̻̭̥̲̹͉͒̏̎̑͠ͅ ̴̯͉͎̗̘̬̮̫̥̞̫̗̒̌̔̓̚f̵̛̙̬̲̩̫̩͓̗͕̺̻̝̩̠̄̔͌ŗ̵̜̝͛͐̅͛̈́͂̀͆̅̐̇ǫ̴̼͖̿͗̈́͑̓̓̓̎̍̏̋̕̕͝m̵͔͍̲̬̠̑́͌͛̆̃̇̈͗͛ ̶̢̛͍͇͎̲̼̻̦̇̅͗̂̊̚͝a̶̧͙̗͔̺̼̞͉̦̐̆̀̈́̾n̸̝̬̱͕͉̜̑̈́͆̔ͅẍ̵̗̤̭̟͝͝ĩ̴̦͔̼̲̦̔̅̋̈̈́̿̑̒̊͘̕͝è̶̛̛̥͒̾͌̂̈́̌̽̈̈̏͝t̴̡̬̞̠̩̲͉̲̼͉̻̘̯͓͎̃̏͒̅͌̿͐̈́̚͝ỳ̵̫̺̭̺̣̠̞̈̍̾̓͗̐̎͗̄͋̓̋͘ ̴̨̹̰̺̖̯̮͌̔͆̍̇̉̾͠͝͝ȏ̵̡̻̝̻̯̣̤̼͙̪̼̳̰͈̼͐r̶̫̬̘̦͓̍͑̽́͋̆̐͛ ̵̢̨̼̤̱͔̜̳̠̟̬͇͉̾͗͒͛͛͊̎̆̚d̸͎̈́̏̊̅̃͛͠ȅ̸̺̭̻͘p̷͎̅̍̈́̅̔͆̉ȓ̸̻̯̲̫̫̮̣̖̈́̃͋̽̀̕ě̸̼̥̱̄͗͒̉̾̈́͆́͒̇̌͠͝ŝ̸̛̳̺̠̮͚͓̖̤̭͙͓̠̂̊̔̍̍͊̽͑̈́̄͗̍͝s̴̟̺͓̼̩̲͔̮͛i̴̛̤͒͛ǫ̵̧̣̱̞̙̘̩̩̦̤̙̦͍̮̍̓̌n̴̨̬̠͓̦̥̖̝͆͑͑̂͗͂͜ ̵̛̤̝̠̇͗̑̆̈͒̿̂̽̆ͅm̷̤͈͕̜̩̈̄̃̓̎̈̂͑a̶̧̭̮͇̠̺̰̻̮̳̙̔͋̆̈́̈ŷ̴̟̘̎̅̋̒̅͛̎̓̃̚ ̶̧̹͇̘̯̻̪̱̩͓̳̪̽̂̈́͌̈́̈́͐̃͜n̷̹̘͇̜̣̪͍̙͌̎̇͋͆͆̓͊̍̓͗̕o̴̡̧̡͙͈̲̼͚͕̝͔͕̤̾t̵̝̙͔̖̦͕́̓̊̐͊́̓̏̽͌̄ ̶̨̡̣̼̝̼̟̺͔͍̙͉̩̲͕̓̈́͂̎̐̍̆̂̑͑͛͠͝͠h̶̢̧̧̲̯͇̫̪̝͔̹̜̻͚̔́͌̓͌̾̓͐̍̅̕á̶̙̯͌́͗͗̀͊̐̃̚͜͝͝v̸̡͎̞̲̯͔̺̯͔̳̩͚͊̎ȩ̷̧̻̱̮͔̗̯̊ ̶̢͚͚̗̮͙̅̓̿̍̈́͌̔̃͐͐̐͝͝a̶͙̥̻̺͋̎̏̀̈̂̿̈́͋̎̕ ̵̦̘͎̜̖̦͚̥̠̹̙̟̖̂̈́̋̒͋͂͋͛͊͝͝͝s̷̹̆̿͆̾̽͆̈́̽̚̕͘͝ā̶̛͈̜̞̀̌͋̑͂͘f̸̠͑̾̽̊̈́͒̅͆̍͊͒͊̚͠è̷̙̹̝͚̙̹͍̺͈͈̥̆͂̆̓̓͆̈́̊̃̃̚͜͠ ̵̤͚͍̀̌̈́ȇ̷̛͈̪͍̬̗̱͇̫̏̀̿͘x̶̨̥̳̟͓͉̯́̾̓̃̋̆̎̓p̶̨̭̰͍̪̣͎͈̤͙͍̮̭̟͈̈̏̓͐̂̾e̵͉̝̣͍̺͇͚͚͚͕͒͌̓͊̕r̶̡̡̨͚͍̱̘̟̲̱̲̯͌̀́̌̎̑͒̈́̕͝ī̵̻̖͚͙̗̼͊̏̇ę̶̥̻̳͔͇̣̜̲͍̭̰͒̊͋̋̈́̔͗͐͆̅̅̕̚͝ņ̵̛͉͙̤̆͗͒͊̕̚͝c̷̣̹̗̻̺̳̟̭͎͓̟͎̹͒̐̋̋͛͑͠͠ę̴̼̯̮̟͚̱̖͕̞͙̇͑̕ ̶̢̨̯̥̭̭͓̰̣͊̓p̶̛̣̤͖̈́̂̉̃̄́̈́̈́̂̍͌̎͝͝l̸̛͇͓̞̈́͛̈́̂͑̈́̀͊͝ͅa̷̧̡̖̼͎̥̩̲͙̝͔̖͉̳̿̏̕͜y̵̢̻̤̻̘̝̮̩̬̖̞̯̫̚ḯ̶̜͍̾̃̔́͐̂͊̈́͘͝n̸̛̥̠͔̼̿̆̂̉̿̾́̊̄̔͘͝ͅģ̵̧̛̱͍̜̱̹̞̱̉͂͗̊̅̽̎̌̚͝ ̸͖̩̪̟͙̠̠̜t̶̨̨̝̦̺͌́ḧ̵̢̳̞͙̙̭͕͍̼̪̺́̎̅̀̓̊̑̅̅͒̿̕i̷̡̱͓̅͑̾͆̉̌̑͆̈́s̴͎͎̼̰̥̳̪͗͐͋͆̆̕͘ ̴̡̠̜͊̏̎͝͝g̸̨̻͖̬͈̺̳̈͌́̏̀͑̉̽̄́͘̚a̷͖̼̲̻̔̑̈́͋͒̾͑͐̔̋̚͠͠m̷̛̤̰͎͆̍͑̋̽̓̈͗̓̂͝͝ͅë̵͎̞̘̪̫̜͓͌̿̄̿͆̿̎̈́́̽͑͠.̶̢̢̖̥̙̥̙͉̬͎͍̱͂̀̎̋͗̎̈́͊̑̃̕͜ͅ ̴̦̭̬̳͙̦̙͍̬̈́̔͆̏͛͗̿͌̚̚

F̸̡̙͚̞̒͐̂͑ͅo̴͉̜͛̿̾̽̏ͅr̸̢̢̛̻̫̺͈̳͑̔̑̾̈́̓̈́̋͆̆͘͜͝ ̶̡̬͙̘̞̼̞̬͇̂́̿́̐̂̃̒͛̔̒̓ç̸̜̠͓̖͖̱̜̩̬̟̭̯͈̼͗̍̅̐͒̉̌̆͒̅͝͝͝o̵͖͍̞̭͈͚̳̞͐ͅn̵͚̪̟̲͗͗͋̃̔͂̚t̷̢̧̡̢̛̟͉̬͈̼̝͖͎̫̥̓̃̓͒̈́̇͒͝ͅë̶̛̹͍͎̖̟̘̳̫͉́̓̈́̍̓̇͂̕n̵̢͇̖̼̞̠̩͎̳̜̿͆̿̾̽̈́̄͐̓͝ţ̵̮͍̺̼͔̾̽̓̇̂̒͝ ̷̣̙̙̭̏̇̑͂̈̈̏̃̚͝͠ͅw̴̨̢̡̛̖͚͉̞̗͖̪̭̯̲̦͗̆̈́̿̏̆̌͘͝͠ͅą̸̛̲͉̞̼̞͖̗͔̞̰̳̣̜͐͊̎͜ṟ̷̮͈̱̼̻̖͈̲͖̖̯̞̱͉͝n̵̩̲̦̎̔́͛͆̐̽̆͜i̸̛̥̊̅̉̅̈́͆̑̆̽͋͠͝ǹ̷̢̡̛̰̣̤̳̲̖̳͈̼̯̑̑̾̔͋̋͌̓͘g̵̨͙̮̣̳͔̬̫͎̝͇͖̟͇͛̃̋͗̈́s̵͓̣͖̫͓̗͚̩͌̂̕,̵̡͇͈̼̪͓̭͎̓̈́͌͊̇̾̂̎͐̄̂̒͜ͅ ̸̡̼̮͍͆̑p̵̧̠̣̞̟͖̝͖͓͇̘̪͔̺͊͘͝l̵̡͕̖̳̯̝̪̣̻̗͕̆̀̏̀̄ẻ̵̡̛̙̟̺̜̜̙͍͖̥̖̜̊̚͝ͅą̵͙̥̏͂͑͛s̷̨̨̱̬̭̣͕͇̦̩͈̝͂̓̚͠͠e̵̛̦͖͈̭̻̫͕̣͗̂̏͆̆̕͜͜͝͝ ̴̯̰̥̠͍͉͙̩̓̍̌̋͂̆̽͠ͅv̵̛̞̭̳̘̖͔͙̗̟̙͍̪̲͇͗̆̄̔͊̾͂̓͂̆͘͝i̶̘̱͎̽̂͆͑̔̚̕ͅs̵̰͚͍̫̲̥̺̱͔̮̳͕̣͖̺̾ȋ̵̟̥͙͕̥̘̤̗̝̼̜͕̟̐̒̈͒͂͑̐ț̶͂:̶͙̗̰̙͚̮͗͛̐̆͠ ̶̧̰̠̿̐̈͒̇͑̾̇̂͒̇̃̕h̷̢̏͐̃̄͗͘͝t̶̰̫̩͖͇̱̳̮̥̺͙̭̔̽͋͋͘t̴̛̹̹͍̜̗̝̯͑̏̋̽̍̂̾̇̕p̷̲͎̀̉̾́̇̌͑͆̾͆̚:̴̧̪̮̲̯͙͉̜̜͊/̷̡̘͈͇̻͕̫̲̑̋̄̈́́̈͗͘̚͜/̷͍̖͉̯̝̝͉͎̙̪̬̗̈́͂̚͠d̶̨̮̙͔̥͉̍̂̈͒̐͜͜d̵͔̹͎̭̣̖͉͍͇͖̥̺̖̪̆̀̌̌̊͜l̷̨͇͍̻̽̈͐̏̈̚͜͝ͅc̴̘̟̈́̓̅̇́̆͠.̷͉͈̭̏͑̐͌m̷̛̛̲̯̞̜̘͖͕͔̣̬̰̐̌͒̋͛̉̔̊̍̓͝ȍ̵̱̳̘̈́͐͑̎̇͗ę̵̢̭̺̰̪̤̻͈̿̓̈́̚ͅ/̶̧͉͉̤̺͇͕̙͎̳̘̦̻̯̄̏̔͆̓̉̀̚ͅw̶̰̦̤͔̪̞͎̙̙̮͎͉̽̈́͜͜á̴̢̦͎͕̩̙̪̙̥̮̘͋͛ͅŗ̵̨̛̜̗͖͚̣̮̖͈̫̟͎͚̥̍̏̃̂̈́͠ņ̸̡̢̡̧̛̟͔̻̮̆̂̑̈̉̐̆͒͗̔i̴̡̛͕̙͎̘̭̖͎͈͇̼͆͂̏̈́̔͋̎̿͊̓́̅͜͝͝n̸̜̘͔͔̦̳̜̲͓͒̕͜g̵͖̘̪̖̓̈́̈́̚͜͝.̵̨̲̭̣̺̤͍̗͆̐̊̓̉́̏͗̅̎̈́̆̋̚͜͠h̶̹̒͒͜t̴̙̻͋̿͋͝͝ͅm̴͈̟̬̏͛̽̏͌̂͋̈́̔͋͐̆l̷̛̞̱̖͖̪̖̥̜̦̘̫̎̉̒̏̃̇͋͒̈́̚͠

B̷̛͉̭͕̖̹̓̓̊͌͑̍̆͐̿͒͗͘ý̸̡̢̹̬̹͇̭̞̩̺̤̪͇̫͆̊̃̉̇͝ ̶͈͈̩͔̬̙̖̺͕͖͗͜͝p̷͉͔̖̑̿͗̋l̴͇͂̐̽̇̽̓̓͊̆͆͘͝a̸̧͙̠̞̜̺͖̹̥͖̠̟̪̰͋̈̈́̒͒̂͗͂͑́̉y̷͕̲̞̺͈̯͔̔͆̐̄͊̓͌͌̈́̐̚ì̸͓̞̺͖̑̃̇͌̇̏̌̈́͋̚̚ǹ̴̳̥̻̙̯̙̾̎͑͗͑̄̈́̂̌̔͝͝͝g̴͓̖̟͆͜͝ ̷͚͓͈̤̣̹͍̺͇̪̒̾̉̕D̴͖̝͓̎̀̉̈́̌̓̋̐͗͆̚͝o̴̧̨͎̣͗͑̎̈́̚ķ̷̡̭̝̞̖͔̬̠̤̯͇̰̽͜ͅĩ̸̡̭̣͚͓͖͉̟͍͔͓̳̞͂͘ ̸̧̧̛̫̝̳̬̳̳̺̯͓͙͂̓̏̄͐̓̈́̐͝ͅͅD̶̪̱͌̄̌̎̒̃̓̎̍͗̓̀͊͠ơ̶͕̬̬̪͙̥̙̺̪̟͓͕͓̖̟̈́̓̒̈͑̋͘k̶̠̭̲̜̣͉͓̉͌͑͘i̷̧̬̰̲͇̪̊̒͊̔̈́̆̎̓͛̓͘ ̷̛̠̊̅̈́̂͆̎͆͆͐̊͌́̕Ĺ̴̡̢̛̰̮̹̦̦̟̩̟̥̗̐̽̂̿̆̈́̍̆̒͗̕͠ͅį̶̢̢̛̞̭͙̪͇͎̺̻̯̣̣̥̈̈́̔̾͑͑͆̾̿̅̿̓͝t̷̺͔̹̙̖̱͉͔̺̙́̓̄͜ĕ̴̬̖̙͌͌̿̈́̋r̶̳̠̦͔̲̗̹͙̰̘̹̝̀̅̆̑̆̽̄̋͒͒͋̚͜͝a̸̡͈̪͈͚̗͖̮̭̯̲̻̥̿̏̾̀ţ̸̰̭̦̺̯͔̹̠̗̩̼̹͂͒͌́͒͑͆̒̾̐̽̕͜͝ͅu̴̦̯̬̦͐̍͐̄̾̎̏ȑ̵̩̩̫̟͎̼̣̰͚͓͇̮̐̑́͒͌̕̕͜ͅè̵̮̗̻̋̈́̄̽͑̒͐̾ ̸͎̤̪̥̫͎̹̱͇̖̜̥̇̾̋̍͝͠ͅC̶̹̹̗̹̜̗̦͔̺͎̬̼̹̾͋͊͆͠l̵̡͇̟̭͇̦̯̖̖̖̼̗̥̇̍͛̌̌̕u̷͕̒̽̐̒̀͂̈͊̒̈́̚͜b̵̡̢̛̘̪͚̻͉̪̣̝̯̒̋͒͐̋̉̓͆̋̍͒̚͜,̶̧͎͍̦̦͉̳̗͈͙̘̋̌͜͝ ̸̬̠̞̱͚͉͋̿̿͘͝y̶̱̗̹̘̒͆͗̒̓̆͋̉̈̓̓̎͒o̶̜̹͓̳̼͕̳̥͔̠̪͕̍́̾͛͊͆͊ṷ̵̡͔̰͔̉͑͘ ̶̨̨̗͍̖̝̩̓a̸̺̪͑͗g̸̣̩̪̀̓̾̌̈́͠ṙ̶͈͚͈̯͇̲͕͎͚͘ĕ̸̡̖͈̜̩͓̩̯̻̩̮̪̟̘̲͛̒̇̉͑͝ȩ̵̡̛̖͔̟̺͍̩͈̯͍̪̠̐͂͘͠ ̷̢̬̠̬̘̤̪͇̜͉̥̪̩̮̘͒͐͠ţ̵͇̱͕͓͓̟͔̭̤͆̐̑̿͌̓̏̏̐͗͘͘h̵͍̞̖͋͐̀̑́̆̾͠a̵̢͔̣̤̳̲̖͚͉̣̙͙̦̣̳͗̈̐̽̒́ẗ̴̫̹̺͇̖̝̪̳̩͜͝ ̶͇̳͎͉̤̭̀͂̊͂͗͘y̸̩̓͆͊̒̂̇̅̿̓̏̅̕̕ǫ̴͍̦͕̪̜̐̀͐͑̍͒̆̀͝u̵̯̗̪̞͖̇̇̽̊̍̋̓̅̓̇͘ ̸̧̲̍̾̂́͂̏̅̐̓͘ạ̴̢͉̳̠̩̞̓̄̋̀ŗ̶̧̘̪͕̜̰̤̯͔̰̓̍͌̋̂̋̂͑̔̈́̏̔̚̕è̶̢͈̳͉̪̭̫͇͚̈͋̒͐̕͝ ̵̱̘͈̜͍̩̭͎̼̳̪͆͌͘ͅa̶̞̼͑̔̿́͌̆t̴͔̗͚̰̝̼̙̫̋̆͂̉̿̿ ̴̢̫͇̯͔̪̏͋̊͐̎́̾̚l̴̛̞̟͎͚̺̯̭̗̗̻̮̈͒̈́͐́͊̑̀͗͂̾̚͠͝ḙ̸̢̻̫͇̹͇̗͒͝à̶͚͎͎̦̳͓̗̱͔̭̪̩̲͇s̶͔̝̹̱͓͖͉͔̗̘͗̌͂̒̏̿͌̃͑̃͌ͅͅt̷̨̥̳̻͉̭͓̣̜̟̦̾̓ ̵̜̥̮̃͐̊̾͑̑͛̈͠͝ͅ1̵͓̩͎̫̓̿̀̈̎̂̉̓͌̒̇̂̅͗ͅ3̶̨̳̘͚̑̓͋̆̈́̒̄̇̈̔͘̕͝ ̶̧̡̭̼̙̺̲͔̱̖̖̲̠̗͂̅͐͐̈͛͒ỵ̸̛̲̿͊̿̂̎̆̿͋̓̇̇̚e̶̛̖̼͖̳͖͚͍̯̳̘͒̃͂͛̿̉͂͝͝a̶̠̠̫̓͐̾̾̉̍̊r̵̛̙͙̫͚͙̹͐͛͂̊̌̈̃̔̏̐̉̄͆̕s̷̨̜͎̰̤̯̜̈́̽̉̅̾̉̈́̈́̄̍̚ ̸̡̘͔̖̺̮͎͌̔́͊o̷̧̦͔̤͈̭̽͒̀͌͂̓̓̈̿̅̾f̴̘̫̪̳̪͙͕͇͉͕̺̟̥̘͊̕͜ ̵̛͖̜̩̌̿̓͗̄͒̎̄̂̎͛̌ȁ̵̡͙͇͕̙̎̂̎̾g̷̯͖͖͇̩͑͒͊͛́͠ḝ̴̛̺̪̍̈́́̿͑̿̌̋ ̷̛̦͎̳̗̈̿́̅͒̒̂̾̆̂̚,̷̨̻̦͉̠͈̭̝̘̗̂̂̃̍͋̽̔̾̆́̈́͂̌͘͜͝ͅ ̶̨̢̛̛̖̣͍̼͍̗̥̳̖̈́̓͗̌̓̃̈́̄̀̒͗͠ͅả̶̻̠̼̫̐n̸̪̬̹̤̫̠͗̅̑̈́̿̿͌̅̈̋̋̽͝͝ͅd̶̯͈̪͕̖̓̈͂͆̉̕͝ ̶̧̨̠̫̣̼͍̰̭͊̓y̶͔̯͚̻̩͍̱̅͒ͅo̸̰̩̺̟̠͚͙͕̟͇̩͇̠̲͐̄̃͛̃̌̊̕͝ṵ̶͙͓̖̖͙͆̏͋͒͋͂̈́̕͘ ̸͚̳̰̮̞̝̬̺̰͎͐̌̅c̶̮̻̞̤̼̺͓̮͆̍͑̒̎̑́͂̎͝͝ͅơ̶̧̫̯̖̝̗̰̇̋̑̈́̽͊̂̅̿̾̈́̈̎n̴̢̛̲̳̙̼̑̽̎͐̈̿͐̽͘̚ͅs̸̡̞̥̤̼̮̬̞̙͔̬̠̰̾̈̃͌̆e̶̜̪̲̪̲͚̦̮̺̥̰̤̫͔̾͆̍̓̎͂̇̅̊͝ͅn̵̡͉̜̘̝̗̙̣͔̈́̈́͐̓͐ͅͅt̴̨͕̭̘̩̖̳̓̓̎̆̈͐͌̎̈́͘͝͠ͅ ̴̧̨͚̻͍̭͖̼̤̩̥̪̿̀t̵̖̺͙̯̗̣̺̂̓̽̓̋͜ơ̶͍͉͈̬̍͒̋͂͒̂̓͌̉͝͝ ̸̡̧̛̺͖̬̪͙͍̜̝̙̞̟̠̏͑̎̅̅̌y̵̡̨̬͉̥̗̮̫̥̓̈͆̚͝ǫ̴̛͇̩̰̗̺͍̘͎̱̊̏̄̋̐̉͆̅́͑͌͌͘͠ų̷̯̟͉͇̘͓͇͕͔͊̔̃́̑̍͌ŗ̴̡̜̺͔̗̈́͂̍̔̎̇͐̓̒̔̃͝ ̴̝̃̐͋͑̿̒͐̚͠͠͝ẽ̸̖̻͍̩̯͕̏̏̂̒͛̾̐̚x̴̯̠̲̠̜͈̼̅͜͜p̸̨̛͕̗͉͍̲̾͠ö̶̠͎̝̠̦̗͈̖̥͙͇͍́̏̉̈́̽̕̚͜ş̸͍̌̈́ừ̷̧̘̙̹̗̥̼͚̝̰̺͕̪̓̊̐͠ͅŗ̷̡̢̧̰̗͈͉̱̲̯̦̖̓̃̈́̍̊͒̓̅̊̇̔̀͐͝ͅẹ̵̡͔͖̪̼̥͋̅̂̏͌͆͘͝͝ͅ ̶̣͉̠̺͕̜̰̈́͋̒̀̏̽̊̈̒̕͜ơ̵̢̡̢͎̬̥͍͍̤̖̦͚̯̹̿̓̆͑͊̽̏̾͐̕f̶̳̞̘̤̥̤͉͍̣̹͉͎̠̙̫̄̈́͘̚ ̴̥̭̼̼̳̫̯̍̅͗̔̎̽̈́̓̃͝͝h̸͖̹͚͙͙̙̯͇̘̰͇̞̔̒͒̍̔i̶͍̐̓ǵ̷̮͎̥̰͗͒͊̔̂̐͝͝͠ḩ̸̡̨̢̧̲͎̮̦͓̻̥͍̃l̶͕̯̫̙͖̄͋̔͜͜ỵ̴̼̥̥̹̭̓͋̈̐̂͋̏͋̓̈͘̕ͅ ̷̛̛̝̞̗̈́͐̏͊̆̓̽̓̓̈́͝d̸̟̖͓͇̺̩̯̈́̂̎̈̒̂̇̈̄͋̕͝͝͠i̶̹̘̫̺͍͚̪͖̜̫̬̟̰̦̤͋͗̀̽͐̉͌͑͋͗̒͘ŝ̸̜̃͛t̶̨̧̢̮̹̦͚̬̒̿̏̏̌͂̏̂̐̈́̍͘͜u̵̧͉̬̖̝̬͇̍̓r̸̡̨͖̥͈̳̝͇̪̦̍̒̆̏̒̽̾̄͋͜͜͝b̷̡̧̢̞͎͚͍̦̜̯̘̹̳͌̅͛̂̐͋̈́̆̒̚͜ͅi̴̡̡͎̭̠̣̘͆͑́̕n̷̢̡̨̥͕̳̦̱̗͓̩̰͂̍͒̆͛̈́̐̏̽̐̍ğ̴̮͍̝̃̎͑̀̓̓͊͝͝ ̸̜̬̫̤͂̃̏̈̾̉̈̽̌͠c̸̛̺̳͇̠̗̦͋͊͊͛̒̑̓͌͜͝ͅơ̴̧͔̓͆͂̈̎̐̉́̕n̵͖͙̐̇̊̆t̷̛̻͋̊̈́͑̆͑͛̈́̽̒͝é̷̥̘̭̞̰̩̠͎͐͛͋̿͊̀̉̑̓̌̕͠͠ͅṇ̵̢̨͇͉͖̠͐͆̈́̔̾̅̄̈́̍͘͘͘͝͠t̴̡̨̛̛͉̲̼̗̺̤̟͓̽͑͋̓̚.̶̛͉̘̜̭̳̙̬̼̳͓̳͋͑͒̈͗̚

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**???: "** **Heeeeeeyyyy!!!"**

***I see an annoying girl running toward me from the distance, waving her arms in the air like she's totally oblivious to any attention she might draw to herself.**

_Sayori's usually not this wide awake in the morning- has she had a second cup of cỏ̸̢͎̥̩̙͈̦̝̰̇̏̈́̃̇͆͗̃̌̍̄͒̚f̷͇̤͛́̾͊̇̍̄fee or something?_

***That girl is Sayori, my neighbor and good friend since we were children. You know, the kind of friend you'd never see yourself making today, but it just kind of works out because you've know each other for so long?**

***We used to walk to school on days like this, but starting around high school she would oversleep more and more frequently, and I would get tired of waiting up.**

_Occasionally, I'll leave a sticky note on the front door with a vaguely inspiration message, but those don't seem to help at all. Honestly, I don't thii̵̥̅͑̔̓̂̉̄̓̈͘̚͠͝͠ņ̴̢̛͓̙͔̯͖͗̎͒͒͋̈͗̄͒k̵̜̝̬̥̞͕̟͔̄̄͒̍̓̊͐̕ she even notices them in the morning._

***But if she's going to chase after me like this, I almost feel better off running away.**

***However, I just sigh and idle in front of the crosswalk and let Sayori catch up to me.**

_Even if I had run away, she'd cą̵̢̖̬͖̮̼̺͎̳̝̔̍̈͆͝ͅţ̴͎̻̖̭̺͇̖̮̳̽͆̈̏ch up easily. Saÿ̸̰̙̮̟̙͖̮̝̻́͌̆̃͛ͅori is a pretty fast sprinter._

**Sayori: "Haaahhh..haaahhh..."**

**Sayori: "I overslept again!"**

**Sayori: "But I caught you this time!"**

~~**You** ~~ **Kaito: "Maybe, but only because I decided to stop and wait for you."**

**Sayori: "Eeehhhhh, you say that like you were thinking about ignoring me!"**

****Sayori: "That's mean, Kaito!"** **

_"Sayori, the̸̤͊͗͋͒̑r̷̛̭̰̠̝͓͇͖̦͌́̏̑̏̂͂̋̏̌͆͝e's n0 way anyở̵̡̝̞̙̲̦̬̞͈͖̏̃̂͆̄̒̑͌̔̅͠͝ne could ẻ̷̢̡̨̖̯̇̊̐̈́́̆͐͝v̷̞̥̫̭̰̝̺͊̐͋͂̿̃͘ḙ̶̜͙̥̪̩̞̤̱͈̦̻̭͆̅̔̆̌̏r̵̨͉͈̹̬͎̦̖̬̲̩͔̖̉̿͂́̽͐̔̏́̍͠ͅ ign0re you."_

**Kaito: "Well, if people stare at you for acting weird, I don't want them to think we're a couple or something."**

**Sayori: "Fine, fine."**

**Sayori: "But you did wait for me, after all."**

**Sayori: "I guess you don't have it in you to be mean even if you wanted to~"**

_"Untrue. Ḿ̴̲͕̺̏͂͒̑͑̈́̈́̈́̚ȳ̶͇̼̀ͅ ̵̧̛̝̫͉̦͉͎͇̣̙̱̇͗͌͊͂͛͌͛͜͝ĥ̶̡̗̻̬͉̝͍͑͆̐ḝ̵̩̳̰̣̟̱̙̥̈͆͋͂̑̌̿̒̊̕̕͠á̴̹̹̥͈̘͕̣͓̺͂͛͑̚͜͝r̷̛͍̞̤̙̦͍̹̝͕͈̾̋͐̓̔͘t̵̛͈̗̋͆̊ is a black p̸̢̹̥̺͙̞̝̤̗̮̯͎͇̰͊ͅį̷̛̥̺̲̪̗̞̠̗̜͖͖̪̽͗́̇͗̄̄̉̋̚̕̕ṯ̸̨̢̛̦̠͔̳͈̯̬̀̋̒̑͛̒́͠ͅͅ of despair and darkness."_

_"Kait0, You're so silḯ̴̧̧͇̥̯͉͚̼̺͚̬̒͑̈́̄͛l̸͍̆̾̇̈̌͐̚͝l̷̢͖̰̰̱̩̣̉ÿ̸̮̬̯̘͉̳̯͉̝͓͙̹́̋͑́̅͌̏͆̏̏͝͝ͅ!"_

"̶̥̻͍͍̮̳͉̻̗̖̝̻͈̻̈́̽̈̈́̈̿̈̐͑̉͂̑.̵̯̋͊̓̐͌͒̌̕.̸̧̧̡͙͎͓̪̺̒͗.̵̮̗͕͕́̏͗̋̍̐͑̂̂͜I̶̡̛̛̟̜̩̙̦͚̱̤̩͍̊̃̈͂́͋̿͝͠f̷̧̠̗͇̮̽̓̔̑͆̃̄ ̴̧̯̦̖̞͚͍͎̟͚̺̹̲͓̾̈́̾̆̑̆̀̂̊̎̚͝ͅy̷͎͓͎̮̼͙͓̬̙͍͈̓͊̇̐ǫ̸̠̙̱̮̹̠̙͍͔̞̳̒̊̿̒͗̋̿̽̕͠u̴̮͇̥̼̼̠͉͚̜̫͙̬͇̿͗̓̓̚͝ ̷̢͉̥͈̙͍̼̻̹̳̈̈́͝s̵̜̹̾̈́̔̈́̏̍ạ̴̡̡̝̟̬̺͍̩̳̙̓̉̅͋̚͜͝y̸̛̼͈͈͔͖̦͚̤͚̬͑̄̉͂̎̀̿͆͜ ̵͇͙͚̟̃͗͂̍ͅs̵̡̈́̂́͐ȯ̸̮̐̉̂͋̂̚.̵̤̬̦̪̬̔́̿͝ͅ"̶̯̹͚̜̔̓̅̽̂̓͗̎̂̉̕

**Kaito: "Whatever you say, Sayori..."**

**Sayori: "Ehehe~"**

***We cross the street together and make our way to school. As we draw near, the streets become increasingly speckled with other students making their daily commute.**

**Sayori: "By the way, Kaito..."**

**Sayori: "Have you decided on a club to join yet?"**

_"Uh....yes? Totally? But, I, um...come to think of it, I'm not really interested in joining one. I have a lot of...business to attend to after school."_

**Kaito: "I told you already, I'm not interested in joining any clubs."**

**Kaito: "I haven't been looking, either."**

_"Kaito, does that business involve video games and anime?"_

_"...You can't prove anything in court. Besides, I draw. That counts as something else, right?"_

**Sayori: "Eh? That's not true!"**

**Sayori: "You told me you would join a club this year!"**

**Kaito: "Did I...?"**

***I'm sure it's possible that I did, in one of our many conversations in which I dismissively go along with whatever she's going on about.**

***Sayori likes to worry a little too much about me, when I'm perfectly content just getting by on the average while spending my free time on games and anime.**

***History *Skip *Auto *Save *Load *Settings**

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Usually when school ends for the day, I'm excited. Today, however, I'm anxious. I spent the last few class periods dreading the thought of joining a club. I hate introducing myself to other people, and I'm terrible at remembering names.

Why did I let Sayori talk me into this? She knows I hate meeting new people!

I guess my best bet is starting with the Anime Club; there will probably be a few faces that I might recognize...

"Hellooo!"

I startle, nearly tipping back in my chair. "Gah!"

It's Sayori. Man, I must have really been spacing out if hadn't noticed her come in- Sayori's not very good at being quiet. 

When I look around the room, I discover that everyone in the class has already left for the day. 

Huh.

Sayori giggles. "I thought I would wait for you outside of class, but I saw you spacing out, so I came in! Honestly, Kaito, you're worse than I am, sometimes!

Getting up, I playfully shove her shoulder. "Impossible," I say with a grin, "no one's as flighty as you are!"

"Teehee, if you say so, Kaito!"

Picking up my backpack, I swing it over my shoulders. "Anyway, you didn't have to wait for me if it meant you being late for class."

To my surprise, Sayori flushes a little. "Well," she begins, "I thought you might need some encouragement, so I thought, you know..." She looks away for a moment, tapping her forefingers together.

I see where this is going, and I don't like it. Sayori only sounds this unsure when she's trying to get me to do something. Still, I decide to give her the benefit of the doubt. Feigning ignorance, I ask, "Know what?"

"Well, that you could join my club!"

There we go.

"Sayori, there's no way I'm joining your club."

"Ehhhhh?" Sayori gasps. "Don't be such a meanie!" 

Sayori's vice president of the Literature Club, which is weird, since I've never heard her express any interest in literature. To be honest, I'm 99% certain she only did it because she thought it would be nice to start a new club. Sayori's always been interested in trying new things, but she usually doesn't stick with it for long. 

The longest fad that Sayori got into was knitting. She even got me roped into the whole thing, and we made each other matching scarves. Still...knitting scarves with Sayori isn't anything like joining a Literature Club. 

"Actually, I was considering joining the Anime Club," I say, doing my best to avoid looking at her pleading expression. 

"C'mon," Sayori begs, "please?"

Man, she really wants me to join the club...there's definitely some kind of ulterior motive going on here.

"Why do you care so much? I thought you'd be happy if I joined any club."

"Well," Sayori begins, looking a little sheepish, "I kind of told the club yesterday that I would bring in a new member...and Natsuki made cupcakes and everything...Ehehehe..."

"Sayori...don't make promises you can't keep!" I chide, trying to find a way out of this situation. But Sayori's already played my like a fiddle- she knows I have a weakness for desserts.

Clearly, my sweet tooth will one day be my downfall. I'm not sure if Sayori planned this all along, but I'm pretty sure she did. Sayori may come off as an airhead, but she can be incredibly devious when she puts her mind to it. I can only hope she won't use her powers for evil. 

I let out a long sigh. "Fine...I'll stop by for a cupcake, alright? This doesn't mean I'm going to join."

Sayori perks up, eyes sparkling with joy, a wide smile stretching across her face. "Yay!"

What have I done? 

...I think I may have sold my soul, all for a single cupcake.

Curses.

I dejectedly follow Sayori across the school and upstairs- a section of the school I rarely visit, seeing it's generally used for third-year classes and activities. Sayori, as full of energy as always, flings the door open, pulling me inside. 

"Everyone, the new member is here!" Sayori loudly calls out. 

"Please don't call me that," I mutter in Sayori's ear.

As expected, she ignores me, continuing with, "This is Kaito!"

I glance around the room; to my horror, there are three pairs of eyes staring at me. Even worse, they're all really pretty girls. 

I'm _terrible_ at interacting with pretty people. I just know I'm going to say something stupid. 

"Welcome to the Literature Club, Kaito," says a girl with long purple hair and a gentle voice. "It's a pleasure to meet you. Sayori's always saying nice things about you.

Oh god, Sayori's been talking about me with them. Knowing Sayori, she probably described a version of me that's way better than I actually am in reality. 

The second girl- who has pink hair that's shorter on the front, but with a ponytail on the side- does not look impressed. "Seriously?! You brought a boy? Way to kill the atmosphere."

Oh god, I haven't been here two minutes and already someone hates me. 

Then, a familiar voice. "Ah, Kaito! What a nice surprise! Welcome to the club!"

Oh no, they're waiting for a response!

How do I even talk to pretty people that I don't know?

Am I staring too much?

"What are you looking at?" the girl with pink hair snaps, confirming my fears. "If you want to say something, say it."

"S-sorry," I mumble, probably sounding like a complete idiot. 

"Natsuki..." the girl with purple hair says disapprovingly.

"Hmmph." Natsuki crosses her arms, looking away in annoyance. I don't recognize Natsuki, but, from her small stature, I assume she's a first-year.

Didn't Sayori say she was the one who made cupcakes?

...I really hope I haven't made a bad enough impression that she won't let me have one. 

Sayori pats me on the arm, before whispering into my ear, "Don't worry, Kaito, you can ignore Natsuki when she gets moody." She then turns back to the other girls. "Anyway, that's Natsuki! She's always full of energy!" She then gestures to the taller girl with purple hair. "And this is Yuri, the smartest one in the club!"

Yuri flushing bright red, looks down at the her hands in embarrassment. "Sayori, d-don't say stuff like that."

"It's nice meeting you guys," I tell them.

"And it sounds like you already know Monika, right?" Sayori says to me. 

I shrug.

"That's right," Monika says cheerfully. "It's great to see you again, Kaito."

She smiles sweetly at me.

We do sort of know each other- well, we rarely talked, but we were in the same class year. She was probably the most popular girl in our class. Monica is smart, beautiful, and athletic- completely out of my league, so having her smile at me genuinely feels a little...

"Y-you too," I stammer.

With a cheerful smile, Sayori says, "Come sit down, Kaito! We made room at the table, so you can sit next to me and Monica."

The girls have already placed several desks to form a table. As Sayori mentioned, the space has been widened enough that I can sit next to Sayori and Monica.

Brightening up, Sayori excitedly adds, "I'll get the cupcakes!"

"Hey!" Natsuki snaps, "I'm the one who made them, I'll get them."

Sayori giggles. "Sorry, Natsuki, I guess I got a little too excited."

Natsuki and Yuri walk over to the corner of the room; Natsuki grabs a covered tray, while Yuri opens the closet.

Still feeling awkward, I take a seat next to Sayori.

Natsuki proudly marches back to the table, tray in hand. "Okay, are you ready...Ta da!"

Sayori gasps in amazement. "Ooohhh..."

Whipping off the foil, Natsuki had revealed a dozen white, fluffy cupcakes decorated to look like cats. The whiskers were drawn with icing, and bits of chocolate chips make up the ears. They look and smell amazing.

"Soooo cuuuute!" Sayori gushes.

"I had no idea you were good at baking," Monika compliments.

Natsuki, flushing a little, says proudly, "Eheh...you know. Just hurry up and take one!"

Sayori grabs the first, Monica the second, and I take the third. As always, Sayori practically shoves the entire cupcake in her mouth. Swallowing, she says excitedly, "It's delicious!"

Somehow, she's managed to get icing all over her face.

Natsuki is quiet, and I can't help but notice her taking glances in my direction. Is she waiting for me to take a bite?

I take a bite. The cupcake is sweet, but not cloying, the icing full of flavor. Did she make the icing herself?

"It's really good, thank you Natsuki!"

Natsuki flushes, crossing her arms and looking away. "W-why are you thanking me? It's not like I made them for you or anything..." She trails off, clearly embarrassed.

I almost want to tease her about the fact that Sayori already told me that she had made the cupcakes for me, but I don't think we're close enough friends yet for me to do that.

So, instead I ask, "Did you make the icing yourself?"

"Of course I did! What kind of person do you take me for, anyway?!"

Even though she sounds annoyed, she's still a little flushed.

"I tried baking a cake for Sayori's birthday once," I admit. "But I messed up, big time. Instead of adding sugar...I added salt. Then I burned the icing."

"I still ate all of it, though!" Sayori giggles.

"You really didn't have to do that, you know. I know it was terrible."

Natsuki snickers. "Wow, what kind of dummy burns icing?"

I point to myself, and say it my silliest voice, "This guy!"

Everyone else laughs, myself included.

Yuri returns to the table, carrying a tea set. She carefully places a teacup down in front of each one of us, before setting the teapot next to the cupcake tray.

"You keep a whole tea set in the classroom?" I ask. 

"Don't worry, the teachers gave us permission. After all, doesn't a cup of hot tea help you enjoy a good book?"

"Ah...I-I guess..." I stammer, trying not to sound like an idiot.

Monica smiles sweetly at me. "Ehehehe...don't get intimidated, Kaito, Yuri's just trying to impress you."

"T-that's not..." Yuri turns away. Quietly, she mumbles, "I-I mean that, you know..."

"Drinking tea while reading may not be something I've ever done before," I admit, "but I do like tea."

"I'm glad," Yuri says, smiling faintly in relief.

Monika raises an eyebrow at me, before smiling. "So, what made you consider the Literature Club?"

Crap. I was afraid they'd ask that...

_Don't say you were dragged in by Sayori, don't say you were dragged in by Sayori..._

"Well, I haven't joined any other club, and Sayori seemed to really like this club..." I trail off,not sure what to say next. 

"Don't worry!" Monika says sweetly, "We'll try and make you feel at home here, okay? As president of the Literature Club, it's my duty to make the club fun and exciting for everyone!"

Curiously, I ask, "Hey, Monika? Not to be rude, what made you want to create your own club in the first place? You could probably be a board member for any major clubs. Actually, weren't you a leader of the Debate Club last year?"

"To be honest, I can't stand all the politics around the major clubs," Monika admits. "It feels like nothing but arguing about budget and publicity and how to prepare for events...I'd much rather take something I personalty enjoy and make something special out of it. And if it encourages others to get into literature, then I'm fulfilling my dream!"

"Monika is a really great leader!" Sayori praises, and Yuri nods in agreement.

"Then I'm surprised there aren't any more people is this club yet," I say. "It must be a lot of hard work creating a new club."

"You could put it that way," Monika says agreeably. "Not many people are interested in putting up the effort to start something brand new...especially when it's something that doesn't grab your attention, like literature. You have to work hard to convince people you're fun and worthwhile. But it makes school events, like the festival, much more important."

Monika grins at us all. "I'm confident that we can grow this club before we graduate! Right, everyone?"

"Yeah!" Sayori cries, eyes sparkling in excitement.

"We'll do our best," Yuri affirms.

"You know it!" Natsuki says, pumping her fist in the air. 

They're all so different, but they're still focused on the same goal...Monika must have worked really hard to find these three.

Maybe that's why they were excited about having a new member joining?

I really don't want to let them down. I don't know if I can keep up with their interest in literature- my relationship with books has always been...difficult- but I'm going to try my best! 

"So, Kaito, what kind of books do you like reading?" Yuri asks curiously.

Oh no. I probably should name some kind of book, but it's likely at least one of them will have read it. Guess I'll have to go with the truth. 

Looking down, I admit, "Um...well, this is kind of embarrassing, but I'm not much of a reader. Unless manga counts? I guess it's because I kind of have trouble reading large chunks of text...I guess that makes me kind of an idiot, huh?"

I try and play it off with a laugh, but I can tell my joke fell flat. 

Everyone's looking at me weirdly, and I consider bolting out the door, out the building, and then moving to another town with a completely different name. 

I've only been here for five minutes, and I already managed to make things awkward! 

This must be some sort of new record for me...

After what feels like an eternity, Natsuki bursts out, "Are you trying to imply that manga isn't literature?! Sheesh!" Crossing her arms, Natsuki huffs in annoyance. 

Natsuki's rudeness seems to break the tension a little. 

"Well," Yuri says quietly, "I'm not sure if manga qualifies as literature, but it's still reading. You shouldn't call yourself an idiot like that!" After that small outburst, Yuri flushes bright red. "Sorry," she whispers, "I didn't mean to..."

"Yuri!" Sayori gently says, patting Yuri on the arm, "You shouldn't be embarrassed about expressing yourself! You have opinions, and I love to hear them!" Turning to me, she continues with, "Kaito, you're not stupid at all! I think you're very smart!"

Finally, she turns to Natsuki. "Natuski, manga is literature if you want it to be! I admire how strong your passion is for manga, because it makes me want to find something I can feel just as passionately about!"

I can't help but laugh. "Sayori, you always have something nice to say, don't you?"

"And I'm always right!"

With that, the tension fully breaks.

"Well," Monika says in relief, "I'm glad we have everything resolved." I can't help but notice, however, a strange expression flicker in her face for a second.

"Yeah, sure, whatever," Natsuki says, face flushing pink. "Can we get back to the important stuff?"

"Well, I suppose we could all talk about what kind of things we like to read," Monika says. 

Turning to Yuri, I ask, "Hey Yuri, what kind of books do you like reading?"

"Well, let's see..." Yuri says, tracing the rim of her teacup with her finger, "my favorites are usually novels that build deep and complex fantasy worlds. The creativity and craftsmanship behind them is absolutely amazing to me. And telling a story in such a foreign world is equally impressive."

Yuri goes on, clearly passionate about her reading; all the shyness she was showing before has completely vanished. She'd seemed so reserved and timid since the moment I walked in, but it's obvious by the way her eyes light up that she finds her comfort in the world of books, not people.

"But, you know, I like a lot of things," Yuri admits. "Stories with deep psychological elements usually immerse me as well. Isn't amazing how a writer can so deliberately take advantage over your own lack of imagination to completely throw you through a loop? Anyway, I've been reading a lot of horror lately..."

"Really?" Monika says, "I wouldn't have expected that, Yuri. For someone as gentle as you..."

"I guess you could say that. But if a story makes me think, or takes me to another world, then I really can't put it down. Surreal horror is often very successful at changing the way you look at the world, if only for a brief moment."

"Ugh," Natsuki scoffs. "I hate horror."

"Oh?" Yuri asks placidly, "Why's that?"

Despite her demure tone, I can sense she's a little irritated.

"Well, I guess..." Natsuki stops, eyes darting over to me for a second. "Never mind."

"That's right, you like to write about cute things, don't you, Natsuki?" Monika says, clearly trying to smooth things over.

It has the opposite effect on Natsuki- she blanches, face flushing. "W-what? What gives you that idea?"

"You left a piece of scrap paper behind last club meeting," Monika explains. "It looked like you were writing on a poem called-"

"Don't say it out loud!!" Natsuki snaps. "And give that back!"

When Monika holds out the piece of paper, Natsuki snatches it back so fast that I hear it tearing a little. She crumples it up quickly, shoving it into her bag. 

"Eheheh..." Sayori giggles, "your cupcakes, your poems...everything you do is as cute as you are!" 

Sayori slides up behind Natsuki and puts her hands on her shoulders.

"I'm not cute!" Natsuki snaps, shaking Sayori off. 

"Natsuki, you write your own poems?" I ask.

"Eh? Why do you care?"

"I think that's impressive." I continue. "Why don't you share them sometime?"

"No way!" Natsuki snaps. Looking away, she mutters, "You...wouldn't...like them..."

"Ah, not a very confident writer yet?" I say sympathetically.

Surprisingly, Yuri speaks up. "I understand how Natsuki feels. Sharing that level of writing takes more than just confidence. You must be willing to open up to your readers, exposing your vulnerabilities and showing even the deepest reaches of your heart."

Monika eyes Yuri curiously. "Do you have writing experience, too, Yuri? Maybe if you share some of your work, you can set an example and help Natsuki feel comfortable enough to share hers."

Now it's Yuri's turn to look embarrassed. Saying nothing, her expression is one of someone wishing the ground would swallow her whole.

Sounds like Yuri feels the same way.

Honestly, I don't blame either one of them.

"Aw," Sayori says, "I really wanted to read everyone's poems..."

We all sit in silence for a moment.

Then, me and Monika start talking at the very same time.

"What if-"

"Okay-"

We both stop. "You go ahead, Kaito."

"No, you go ahead."

"Well, I was going to say that I have an idea, everyone! Let's all go home and write poems of our own! Then, next time we meet, we'll all share them with each other. That way, everyone is even!"

"Um..um.."Natsuki stutters.

Yuri says nothing.

"Sounds great!" Sayori says cheerily.

"Actually," I admit, "that was kind of my idea. Except my plan was to write a poem and share it with you guys, therefore making you feel better about your own superior writing skills. But it would be kind of nice to not be in the spotlight, and I can't really back down because I just said this all out loud, so..."

Luckily, Monika saves me. "I think with that, we can officially end today's meeting on a good note. Everyone, remember tonight's assignment. Write a poem to bring to the next meeting so we can all share!!!" Monika looks over at me once more. "I can't wait to hear you express yourself, Kaito. Don't worry about it, I'm sure you'll do great."

"Thanks, Monika."

It's unlikely that I'll be able to impress anyone with my mediocre writing skills, but...if it helps the others, I'll do my best.

Doesn't mean I'm any less nervous, though.

As I sit in dread, the girls continue to chat as Natsuki and Yuri clean up the food. 

"Hey, Kaito? Since we're already here, do you want to walk home together?"

That's right- Sayori and I never walk home together anymore because she's always stayed after school for clubs. 

"Yeah, that sounds nice."

"Yay!"

With that, Sayori and I depart the club-room and make our way home. The whole way back, my mind wanders between the four girls, whether or not I'll be happy in a Literature Club, and whether or not I...

Well! I'll just need to make the most of my circumstances, and I'm sure good fortune will find me.

Probably.

Maybe.

Hopefully.

Anyway, I guess that starts with me writing a poem tonight...how hard can it be?

***Save**


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